Moving for PhD

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Has anybody here done a PhD at the University they studied for their BA, MA etc? I know accepted wisdom is that it is better to move elsewhere for the new experience; but I am familiar with York, the department and have a reasonable idea of what is expected of me.

If you moved, was it difficult to adjust? I am currently considering applying to Bristol and Cambridge (in the case of Bristol, it says admission with my degree class should be assumed providing a supervisor can be found).

Another factor is my partner who wants to relocate to the U.K. She is a financial controller for a large multinational and is currently based in Switzerland. We know she will not be earning her Swiss salary in England since the cost of living is much, much higher over in Switz, but at the same time, it won't do to take anything offering below about 45-50k a year (which is still significantly less than what she is earning in Switz).

I don't know how realistic this is in York, but I would imagine in a city like Bristol, these sorts of jobs might be easier to get. She is in a position to choose to some extent and make some demands having years of experience running a finance department, managing the budget etc. She will likely be supporting me through the PhD, so as you can see, it will not be a case of living the high-life.

I'm not sure what to do at the moment. I might apply to all three and then wait and see where I get accepted / rejected (the only reasonably safe bets are York and Bristol).

Any ideas, general advice?

melancholly

i moved for my masters, then again for my PhD.......... it wasn't always a walk in the park but there are so many people in the same situation that it works out fine. pick your PhD by who's the best person to supervise you, and make the location secondary - you can get by anywhere (some places are better than others, granted), but if you don't get along well with your supervisor, it'll be 3 years of hell!

the standard for a PhD should be the same across the UK - that's the point of external examiners. you'll get judged by your publications more than the uni you're at anyway.

i'd apply to all 3 and see what happens - no point limiting your options in advance!

DrFluffy

Unless you're at a stellar uni, staying put for all three qualifications can be a disadvantage, especially if you stay within the same department.

I moved for my D.Phil and had no troubles fitting in in a new place - everyone else was in the same position...

Choice of PhD/D.Phil should be about the project, not the supervisor or the university... After all, it is your research...

aurora_borealis_2

I agree with the need to choose your supervisor, rather than the location.

You'll be together a long time and if your topic is relatively obscure you may have little choice.

If you look at the various PhD forums you'll see that most of the concerns are around the student/supervisor relationship.

Mine has been great ... up until last week It gets really tough at the end.

DrFluffy

It's quite difficult to sus out a supervisor before you start though... You can choose the most prolific publisher and eminent expert on earth, thinking that will stand you in good stead, only to find that he spends half a week a year at your uni and the rest oft he time flying all over the world, leaving you with their !!!!!! of a post-doc!

aurora_borealis_2

DrFluffy wrote:

It's quite difficult to sus out a supervisor before you start though... You can choose the most prolific publisher and eminent expert on earth, thinking that will stand you in good stead, only to find that he spends half a week a year at your uni and the rest oft he time flying all over the world, leaving you with their !!!!!! of a post-doc!

Very true.

I had several meetings with mine before I committed. On the whole, he's been ok. He does travel a lot though

DrFluffy

I'm on great terms with mine now - not so true when I was writing up!!!

misskool

Spend time talking to your PhD supervisor before commiting to anything. I had lunch with my supervisor before I started and we discussed our style of work, and how we 'see' things. I found out that we were both visual people who like working later in the evenings so we get along just fine!!

Don't pick the nicest supervisor, you want one that will give you a kick up the bum when it's time to start writing up to graduate (you do not want to do it forever...)

As for your partner, you could think of commuting as an option as well? You could (although you shouldn't) get your phd from that university without having to live in the city. Lots of people I know are not resident! Don't limit both your choices.

melancholly

misskool wrote:

Spend time talking to your PhD supervisor before commiting to anything. I had lunch with my supervisor before I started and we discussed our style of work, and how we 'see' things. I found out that we were both visual people who like working later in the evenings so we get along just fine!!

Don't pick the nicest supervisor, you want one that will give you a kick up the bum when it's time to start writing up to graduate (you do not want to do it forever...)

i guess that's kind of what i meant - don't pick the person you'd most like to go to the pub with, but someone who you think you can work with. at an interview you should get the opportunity to meet other people doing phds in that research group or even with that supervisor. they can give you an honest opinion on what people are like. it's not that some people are just nasty (although some clearly are!), it's finding someone you click with about work. in a lot of cases you get invited for informal meetings before the interview, or at least have some email correspondence - it's not a lot to work with but you can get some idea of what they're like (e.g. they take 3 weeks to repond to emails etc!). it's also good to get an idea of how much ownership you will have - i know plenty of people who are effectively research assistants on a much lower wage!

i'd also say that don't go by the university - the best researchers in your field won't necessarily be in a top ten uni (and although i think the supervisor is key, it's 3 years so it has to a topic that you want to do!).

it can also be nice to switch uni - most of your friends from an undergrad degree will be leaving and it can be very odd to stay in a place under very different circumstances.

anewman

One idea I haven't seen mentioned yet - thought of moving to switzerland to do your phd? - may be a good idea if you can get some sort of a bursary for fees and living costs, and you also kill 2 birds with one stone.

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I've no idea if moving to Switz is possible, but if it were, I don't think I could handle it for three years. Few people speak English here, and with my hearing loss, it can be difficult to learn a new language (German) to the level where I could hold a conversation. My partner speaks English fluently and has expressed an interest in moving to England, so it's almost certain that's what we'll do.

Next month, I think I'll be contacting potential supervisors. I think e-mail is a bit too informal? Hence I'll write a proper letter and post, leaving my e-mail/details if they wish to discuss things further. Also, at this stage, whilst I have an idea what I want to research, it's hardly tightened up into any neat proposal. Will this be too problematic?

Thanks all.